Thoughts from someone who remembers when we respected our president and enjoyed the esteem of the world; when our airwaves weren't polluted by rancid, hate-filled diatribes of reckless talking heads; when our Senators and Representatives legislated first for the good of the nation and not special interest agendas; when religion was spiritual, not political; and, the rights of women were respected, not constantly under attack by political panderers. We can do better.

Monday, August 20, 2007

In D.C. the Superficial Runs Deep

The headline perfectly captures what is wrong in U.S. politics today.... "A Rush To Frame Views on Congress... Ads Start Before Presidential Race Consumes Voters."(WaPo)We learn of the push by Democrats and Republicans to "define the story line of the 2008 congressional election" before voters are "swamped" by the presidential campaign.Let's face it, the 2008 election is the Democrats to lose. Seldom has a president and administration been so widely despised, even by many in their own party. While Congress flounders in their self-made voter perceptions, the GOP presidential candidates are running away from The Decider as fast as their flip-flops will take them.

And, seldom has a newly-installed majority in Congress so misread the fury of the electorate who shouted loud and clear in 2006.... remember us?While the Democrats can point to some successes, and plans that were frustrated by not having a veto-proof margin in Congress, there were many things they could.... and didn't.... control.Earmarks. The new Democratic congress just couldn't resist the lure of pork. The voters were hoping for better, and were bitterly disappointed.Immigration. Lots of time was wasted pandering to the pro-illegal alien lobbyists, and President Bush, on an issue that addressed the concerns of illegals and illegal-employing companies more than those of their besieged citizens. Dumb.More warrantless wiretapping power handed to The Decider. Puzzling and scary.The public sees that the congressional political game in D.C. has evolved into running for office, raising money and planning for the next run for office. Their legislators have forgotten the vital piece in between.... good governance.The best thing the Democrats could do to show they have heard the voters is to replace Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) with more middle-of-the-road leaders, not power-grabbing opportunists playing to the left fringe. Just roll up their sleeves, listen to citizen concerns and craft common-sense legislation and the Democrats won't have to manufacture"a story line."

1 comment:

I'm not sure "throw the boomerangs" out is the right path. Perhaps the atmosphere in Congress will change; perhaps our representatives will exhibit greater depths and a penchant for honesty when they return. The American people have enabled the current atmosphere in Congress. With the current mood in the country, we may see some surprising changes.

I would hate to think that the only solution is to sacrifice experience for honesty.